1. Field of the Invention
The apparatus of the present invention relates to cooling towers. More particularly, the present invention relates to a liquid-gas counter flow film type filled cooling tower including at least a first and second layer of fill providing a multiple capability of cooling water being distributed over the fill through the counter flow of fan drawn air.
2. General Background
It is well known in the art that a conventional cooling tower comprises a counter flow type horizontal layer of fill wherein a quantity of the water to be cooled is pumped in to be distributed over the fill so that air which is drawn from below and through the fill and is drawn out of the top of the tower serves to cool the water film being distributed through the fill in order to cool the water to a reasonable temperature to be re-utilized. The conventional cross flow towers include a single vertical fill section with the water fed from an over head source and the air being drawn therethrough from air inlets at the side of the tower. A cross flow tower is inherently less efficient in the transfer of heat than is a counter flow tower based on a unit of fill. Another problem confronted with the cross flow cooling tower is that the water which is loaded onto the top of the fill reach a maximum water load, and therefore any air attempting to be drawn through the fill in order to cool the water is substantially blocked as it may flow therethrough. That being the case, the amount of water being cooled through such a conventional tower from air being drawn through the fill from the top situated fan is very limited and serves as a disadvantage in attempting to cool large quantities of water.
Several patents have issued which address the cross flow or counter flow cooling towers, the most pertinent being as follows:
U.S. Pat No. 3,917,764 issued to Phelps, entitled "Sloped Film Filled Assembly Cooling Tower", relates to a cooling tower with the film fill assembly being on an inclined principal plane rather than the horizontal plane in order to effectuate cooling.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,048,265 issued to Fordyce, entitled "De-icing Apparatus For Water Cooling Towers Including Slotted Distribution Basis And Selectively Actuatable Valve Mechanism", relates to an apparatus for de-icing evaporative water cooling towers and permitting selective delivery of hot water from the upper distribution basin to the outer margin of the tower for de-icing of the fill structure in order to maintain adequate air flow therethrough.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,129,625 also issed to Fordyce, entitled "Selectively Controllable Water Curtain Tower", provides a de-icing apparatus similar to the previous Fordyce patent utilized in evaporative water cooling towers.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,880,964 also issued to Fordyce, entitled "Hot Water Supply And Distribution Structure For Cooling Towers", relates to a cross flow cooling tower having fire proof liquid supply means which includes a riser opening to an overhead film adjacent a hot water distributor for supplying hot liquid to the water distributor.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,386,946 issued to Wurz, entitled "Water Cooling Tower Including A Suction Fan", the water cooling tower includes a cooling means and a suction fan further including a water catching channel around the wall of the air outlet passage at the bottom of the channel to collect water separated at and flowing along the air outlet passage channel.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,764,121 issued to Fordyce, entitled "Hyperbolic Cross Flow Cooling Tower With Basins And Fill Integrated Into Shell", teaches a type of hyperbolic cooling tower having a fill assembly structure between concrete hot water distribution and cold water basins in the tower shell adjacent the air inlet of the shell.
The remainder of the patents are also pertinent in the art:
______________________________________ U.S. PAT. NO. INVENTOR TITLE ______________________________________ 3,815,334 Kotting, et al "Gas-Liquid Contact Device" 4,460,521 Stackhouse "Crossflow Cooling Tower Fill Section" 4,215,080 Ribier, et al "Liquid Collecting Device And Use Thereof In Liquid-Gas Contacting Apparatus" 4,622,183 Sonnenschein, "Device For Transferring et al Cooling Water Of A Wet/ Dry Cooling Tower To Recirculation Means" 3,865,911 Lefevre "Cooling Tower Type Waste Heat Extraction Method And Apparatus" 4,312,646 Fattinger, et al "Gas Scrubbing Tower" 4,003,970 Vodicka "Combined Wet And Dry Heat Transfer System And Method For Cooling Towers" ______________________________________